weekends

ONE of the UK’s prettiest islands has been forced to ban people travelling there once a week.

Ulva is home to just 16 people but after it starred on a TV show, has experienced ‘unprecedented interest’ by tourists.

In a bid to control the number of people visiting the small Scottish island, the local and only ferry service has announced it will not run on Sundays.

Ulva is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland found off the west coast of the Isle of Mull.

The island receives an influx of visitors during the spring and summertime – but this year has had more than ever.

This is a result of the TV show, Banjo & Ro’s Grand Island Hotel being aired on BBC Scotland and iPlayer.

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Banjo and Ro who hail from Australia appeared on the series renovating Ulva House – a Regency home that will open as a hotel.

Since the show aired, the island has become much busier – so much so that the ferry operator has decided to close on certain days.

The ferry is the only way to get to Ulva as it crosses the strait from Mull in around 5-minutes.

The foot passenger ferry operates on weekdays from 9am to 5.30pm and does not operate on Saturdays.

In recent news, the ferry announced it will no longer carry passengers across on Sundays either.

In a recent post, it said: “None of us could have predicted how significant the increase in the numbers of visitors would be, so to give ourselves, the Boathouse [restaurant] and fellow islanders the chance to recharge and prepare for the week ahead, we have made the difficult decision not to open Sundays this summer.”

For those who have already pre-booked a trip to the island in June, July or August, the ferry operator has said that it will still help visitors across.

Banjo and Ro already run The Boathouse on Ulva, a restaurant where visitors can pick up a coffee or local fish dishes.

The island is car-free island with cliffs, moorlands, woodland as well as quiet beaches and bays.

Talking to Sun Travel about the island, Banjo described it as “another world” and there’s plenty of wildlife to spot too.

Banjo said: “We’ve got otters, dolphins and seals swimming by, and one ferry you can take from Ulva is called Turus Mara which goes to the Treshnish Isles, it’s home to puffins.

“Often we go there for a puffin picnic just to sit with them, that’s one of our favourite things to do.

“There are more cows than people too so you’re likely to see a lot of them. And you’ve got a great chance of seeing the Northern Lights when the sun goes down.”

When it comes to activities on the island, of course Banjo suggests stopping at The Boathouse for a “pre-walk coffee” then a walk to Ormaig.

Here is where there are ruins of the island’s villages.

Another attraction is Livingston’s Cave, and nearby you’ll see “gorgeous view of Inch Kenneth where the Mitford sisters used to live”.

Then Banjo said: “Head back to The Boathouse for lunch – we serve fresh langoustines, crab and lobster which you can enjoy with a fresh bottle of wine.”

HAVING ditched London for the Kent coastline, my evenings are now spent walking along the beach. But it comes with a downside – the dreaded pricey commute.

A standard peak-time ticket on the high speed line costs me a whopping £105.60, despite it taking less than an hour.

Yet on that 52-minute commute, going from green countryside to dreary grey city buildings, I’m often dreaming of my next holiday.

And you’ll be surprised to know that there are a hell of a lot of holidays that are actually cheaper than that day ticket – both in the UK and abroad.

I’ve crunched the numbers to find return flights or cruises, as well as hotels, when going abroad, although you might need to factor in your own costs such as parking and bus transfers.

Some are day trips, so you can even save on the hotel and spend elsewhere, be it on culture or boozing.

So here are some of the 20 best holidays that are less than £105 each (and where I’d much rather be than in the office).

Three nights in Venice

A huge bargain deal lets you spend three nights in Venice for just £79, and it includes return London flights.

It comes with breakfast, so have a big one to get you through the day.

Skip the very expensive gondola rides and hop on a local one that costs just €2 (£1.74) and goes across the river.

Some restaurants have set menus that start from around €15 (£13) for two courses, and expect to pay as little as 86p for a glass of wine.

If you want a bit of extra cash to spend, reduce the trip to just two nights, which takes it down to £49pp.

= £95.48pp

Weekend trip to Margate

You can get a Travelodge right by Margate station for just £33 a night – working out to £16.50 each – and return tickets from London are around £12 each way, if you book in advance.

That’s just over £40, which can get you some fish and chips from Beach Bouys (£14.50), AND you can squeeze a drink at The Mechanical Elephant (£5 pint), the Wetherspoons in town.

Dreamland is free to visit, as well as the very bizarre crab museum and the Turner Contemporary gallery.

= £60pp

One night Amsterdam cruise

Did you know you can spend the day in Amsterdam without having to sort flights or a hotel?

DFDS has some two-night mini cruises from Newcastle to Amsterdam for as little as £54.50 each (or £39.75 is sharing as a four, not two people). This includes a private overnight cabin as well as bus transfers to the city centre.

This leaves you with £50, best spent on a ticket to Anne Frank’s House (£14.35).

A cone of frites is around €4 (£3.50) and for a cheap drink, Backstage Bar has pints for under €5 (£4.35).

Free things to do include the boat to Amsterdam Noord, as well as Vondelpark and Rijksmuseum (or Van Gogh Museum on Friday evenings).

= £76.70pp

Two nights all-inclusive in Turkey

A two-night all-inclusive holiday in Turkey comes in just under budget too.

The £99 deal each with Wowcher includes two nights at a five-star hotel, as well as access to the pools, all your food and drink AND return flights.

Be quick, as there are only a few days left in May.

= £99pp

Day trip to Oxford

Trains from London to Oxford take less than an hour, and can be found for as little as £5.40 each way.

Visit the Ashmolean Museum without spending a penny or spend your money on a university tour (£27). Harry Potter tours are also similarly priced.

The rest of your budget can go on a three-course menu at No.1 Ship Street (£26pp) named one of the best restaurants in the city, before heading home for the evening.

= £63.80pp

One night in Milan 

Loveholidays has one-night stays for £79 each, which includes return flights as well as an overnight stay.

The stay is at the B&B Hotel Milano, in nearby Monza.

But there is lots to do for free in Milan, such as visiting the outside of the Duomo or the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

Head to Pizza Am where you can get an entire pizza for just €6 (£5.22) which comes with a free glass of fizz.

Famous for its Negroni Sbagliato, Bar Basso is where to end the evening where a cocktail will set you back a tenner.

= £94.22pp

Four nights camping in Spain

From £99pp, you could spend four nights at Estival Torre De La Mora with return flights.

This is based on a family of four, and the airport is super close to the campsite as well.

You have just £6 leftover, so probably best to pack some cereal and pasta from home.

= £99pp

Day trip to Majorca

Extreme day trips are a thing now, thanks to cheap (and quick) flights to Europe.

Holiday Pirates has done the hard work and found some cheap return flights to Majorca from £34, which leave in the morning and come back in the evening.

This leaves you with around £71 to spend on cocktails and dinner.

Marley’s has cheap pints and cocktails, so get one of each and it will cost you less than a tenner overall.

Sa Fonda has a Majorcan buffet in the week that is just €13.50 (£11.74) leaving more than enough cash for a fridge magnet or two…

= £55.74pp

One night in Fez

It isn’t just Europe on the cards; you could do an overnight stay in Morocco with Loveholidays for £99pp.

Along with flights, the deal includes hotels such as Riad Dar Guennoun (which comes with breakfast) or Hotel Ibis Fez.

Make the most of the free attractions like the Fes el Bali medina, while street food ranges from 40p for fried sfenj (doughnuts). A dinner out will usually cost about £8.

= £97.40pp

Four nights at Haven holiday park

One of the cheapest holidays you can go on in the UK is to a Haven holiday park.

Four nights start from £49 based on a family of four if you travel next month.

This doesn’t include access to the arcades and pools, so I recommend going for a break that does instead which is £69, or £17.25.

That leaves you around £87, so take your own food to save on breakfast.

Instead, treat yourself to a cocktail pitcher on your last night for £11 each, as well as a dinner for £10 each. You can even get a roast for a tenner each with cash to spare.

= £48.25pp

A day in London

So if you are already living in London, there is an easy way to spend under £105 each.

A one-day travelcard for Zone 1-2 is £8.90 per adult, and it will certainly get its use.

First of all, there are a lot of free museums – the V&A, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, National Portrait Gallery, to name a few.

A famous Brick Lane bagel for lunch will set you back just £4.50 for a standard cream cheese option.

A theatre trip is a must, and BuyAGift has tickets for The Devil Wears Prada for £75, or £32.50 each.

Pre-theatre menus are a bargain too – try Gallio, where a two-course pre-show meal is just £20 each.

End the night at Cardinal Bar & Kitchen in Aldgate – where every day you can get pints of house beer for a fiver (and treat yourself to two).

= £75.90pp

Two nights in Lake Garda

Two nights in Lake Garda is as little as £59 each, with dates even after summer. The two-night stay is at a 4* hotel, with return flights from London.

It includes breakfast, so make sure to have a big one. Then enjoy a fresh pizza for around £11 and an Aperol Spritz for £7.

Add in a boat tour too, as Get Your Guide has some to Sirmione for £21 each.

= £98pp

Day trip to Calais

Another no drive option is heading to France via Eurotunnel for the day, which starts from £59 per car, so £14.75 per person.

Entering via Calais, you can explore some of France’s best seaside towns such as Boulogne-sur-Mer and Le Touquet-Paris-Plage.

But one of the closest is Wimereux, where you can grab a croissant and coffee for around £3, before heading to the beach for the day.

Have a dip in the sea pool before getting a ‘plat du jour’ (two-course lunch) for around £20 – and then make the most of cheap duty-free with by bringing 12 bottles of £5 wine home…

= £97.75pp

Two nights Algarve

How about two nights in The Algarve?

The cheapest deals are £99 each for two nights with flights with Loveholidays.

This leaves you with £6 to play with, so you’ll need to bring your own food or head to the supermarket.

But spend your time just chilling on the beautiful beaches, catching some rays to keep costs down.

= £99pp

Four nights at Butlins

A last-minute holiday to Butlin’s is a bargain too, with four-night breaks next month for £49. The Bognor Regis stay is based on four people sharing, so that’s £12.25 each.

Add a dining plan, such as the Food Court Dining plan, which is around £50 each and includes buffet breakfast, dinner, and unlimited soft drinks and desserts.

You can even add on an All Action Pass (£15) for access to go karts, bowling, golf and trampolines, AND a two-hour spa experience and come under budget still.

= £105pp

Two nights in Zagreb

Book your own flights and hotels, and you could spend two nights in the capital of Croatia for just £92pp. According to HolidayPirates, this includes return Ryanair flights from London Stansted and two nights at Zajceva 34.

The Historic Upper Town is free to see, as are walking tours, where you can spot some street art along the way, and the Museum of Contemporary Art on the first Wednesday, and the Archaeological Museum on the first Sunday.

You only have about a tenner for food so you’ll need to go to the supermarket, or you could try a “burek” meat pastry from street food stalls for about £5.

= £97pp

Two-night Santander cruise

A no-flight holiday option is a two-night cruise to Spain, which starts from £99 per person when based on a four-person cabin.

This includes the return cruise and two nights onboard in a cabin.

This does only leave you £6, so pack some food… and save it for a wine in Santander (around £2 a glass).

= £101pp

Two nights in Rome

The Italian city of Rome is both easy and cheap to get to. A two-night Wowcher deal in May has return London lights, a hotel and breakfast included for £79 each.

Tickets to the Colosseum will take you close to the budget, so I recommend seeing it from the outside instead (or go on the first Sunday of the month, where it is free as well) and see the free Pantheon as well.

Try Giano Restaurant for lunch, where a two-course meal and coffee is £19 each, followed by gelato for around £4.

= £102pp

One night in Krakow

How about an overnight in Krakow for £99 each? The Loveholidays deal for May has return London Luton flights and a stay at a three-star hotel.

Kraków is cheap, so get a Zapiekanka (pizza) for around £4.50 that will keep you full all day.

Exploring the Old Town is free, as are some of the museums, such as Schindler’s Factory on Monday or MOCAK on Thursday.

= £103.50

Two nights in Costa Brava

You could spend two nights in Spain for under £100, just.

Two nights in Costa Brava or Costa Dorada come in at £99 each with Loveholidays, although the latter has breakfast (so make sure to nab some rolls and snacks for lunch).

Put the last £6 towards supermarket snacks to take back to the pool where you can relax for the rest of the day.

= £105pp

One night Mystery Holiday to Europe

If you don’t know where you want to go, how about letting Wowcher decide for you?

Their famous European Mystery Holiday starts from £89pp, which includes return flights and two nights’ stay.

Some lucky winners could get seven nights, all-inclusive, so you won’t have to spend a penny.

Even those that don’t, you’ll have £16 left each to grab a cheap dinner and pint either from a restaurant or supermarket.

Make sure to check which museums are free to visit too, as most cities have a few.

= £89pp

THERE’S still time to bag a bargain break for a long weekend away this May bank holiday

We found a selection of staycation deals across the UK that still have availability for both the early May bank holiday and the late bank holiday weekend.

From lodges in the woods, to farm stays with roaming cows, to resorts with outdoor pools overlooking the sea – here’s the best cheap UK holiday deals you can still book for a long weekend in May.

Relaxing Lodge stay in North York Moors National Park

3-night stay for two from 1 – 4 May: £284

Snap up this last-minute deal for the early May bank holiday and stay three nights in the cosy Thirley Beck Lodge, right in the stunning landscapes of the Yorkshire Moors.

This lodge is perfect for a couple’s retreat to the countryside, with a double bed and open plan kitchen, dining and seating area – plus a balcony and chairs to enjoy a sunset drink or morning coffee.

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The lodge sits on a working farm, so it’s not a rare sight for cattle, sheep or horses to roam the surrounding fields.

And for a change of scenery, the beautiful seaside village of Robin Hood’s Bay is only 20 minutes’ drive away.

Ty Hafan, Flintshire, Wales

3-night stay for two from 1 – 4 May: £292

Bag a stay at this pretty countryside cottage in North Wales for a last-minute romantic staycation for two.

Step into an adorable pastel blue cottage decorated with blooming flowers and mini white picket fence into a blue and cream-themed interior.

Make use of the afternoon tea table set, or enjoy a bottle of fizz out in your own private garden under the sun.

Nearby, you can visit Talacre Beach to watch the sun set behind its Grade II-listed lighthouse.

Last-minute getaway to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

3-night stay for two from 1 – 4 May: £292

This Parkdean resort in Scratby sits on a golden sand beach with plenty of relaxing coastal path walks nearby – plus it’s close to mega seaside resort Great Yarmouth.

Stay in a comfortable chalet and make use of the pool, crazy golf, on-site arcade and live evening entertainment at the Showbar every night.

Drive or take the bus just 15 minutes into Great Yarmouth to stroll its famous seaside pier – plus a go on the snail rides at the Joyland amusements is a must!

Safari Tent stay at Thorness Bay, Isle of Wight

3-night stay for up to four from 1 – 4 May: £169

Stay in a luxurious safari tent this bank holiday weekend on the sandy sweep of Thorness Bay on the Isle of Wight.

With two bedrooms, a unique safari-style look and wooden decking, the safari tents make your staycation feel like you’re holidaying somewhere more far-flung.

On the resort there’s a heated indoor pool with a waterslide, sports courts, arcades and more. Plus there’s a family-friendly restaurant and takeaway options like fish and chips and Costa Coffee.

And if you want to venture out, there’s a beautiful beach on your doorstep, plus the Isle of Wight Steam Railway is nearby, too.

Stay on Cornwall’s stunning Lizard Peninsula

3-night stay for up to three from 1 – 4 May: £184

Bag a bargain stay this early May bank holiday at Sea Acres Holiday Park in Helston, Cornwall.

The Sea Acres Holiday Park is close to top attractions like the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, as well as the pretty fishing town of Porthleven.

The resort has sweeping views over Kennack Sands, where you can take a dip in the water or catch a spectacular sunset.

Stay in a bronze caravan with a modern interior, kitchen, seating area with a flatscreen TV, plus a large comfy bed and sofabed.

Wooden Glamping Pod in Forrester Park Golf & Country Club, Essex

3-night stay for two from 22 – 25 May: £351

These cosy pods nestled in Forrester Park in the Essex countryside make for a very Instagrammable staycation.

Each wooden dome comes with a cosy seating area, kitchenette, a double bed under a window looking out to the forest, decking to soak up the sun, and access to a hot tub.

Within Forrester Park there’s Padel courts, a driving range and several restaurants offering everything from fry-ups to a Sunday roast – turning your woodland retreat into an action-packed weekend away.

Enjoy a classic seaside stay at Cleethorpes Pearl, Lincolnshire

3-night stay for two from 22 – 25 May: £298

This holiday resort in the traditional seaside town of Cleethorpes has plenty to see and do on-site, including live entertainment and lots of child-friendly activities.

The heated outdoor pool area has a sun terrace with plenty of loungers, and looks more like a posh resort abroad than it does a UK holiday park.

The food at this resort is fantastic, too, as restaurants and shacks serve up everything from Filthy Fries to Magical Milkshakes.

Nearby you can laze out on the sands of Cleethorpes Beach, or hop on the historic Cleethorpes Light Railway – which makes a stop at the tiniest pub in the world.

Whitecliff Bay, Isle of Wight

3-night stay for two from 22 – 25 May: £298

Whitecliff Bay on the eastern tip of the Isle of Wight is a gorgeous coastal destination with golden beaches overlooked by dramatic cliffs.

The Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park is a scenic spot to stay, with a giant outdoor pool looking out to sea.

On-site there’s activities like a crazy golf course, and stylish places to eat and drink like The Nab Bar and The Culver Club.

Nearby head to the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary to spot rare species, or Dinosaur Isle for family-friendly fossil walks.